Children falling into deadly borewells still a source of distress and concern

Borewell accidents continue to be a source of distress and concern, as highlighted by the recent shocking incidents in Madhya Pradesh's Guna and Rajasthan's Kotputli-Behror districts.

In Guna, a 10-year-old boy who fell into a 140-foot deep borewell, tragically lost his life despite over 16 hours of intensive rescue efforts by multiple agencies.

Meanwhile in Rajasthan, three-year-old Chetna has been stuck in a borewell for six days, creating a wave of concern and anxiety. After the accident, her body showed signs of movement for several hours, providing a glimmer of hope to rescue teams and her family.

Officials confirmed on Sunday that the 10-year-old succumbed to his injuries after prolonged and strenuous attempts to save him. These incidents underscore the urgent need for stricter safety measures and awareness campaigns to prevent such accidents and protect vulnerable individuals, particularly children, from the dangers posed by open borewells.

The boy, Sumit Meena, slipped into the open shaft of the borewell at around 5 pm on Saturday in Pipliya village under Raghogarh assembly segment, located 50 km from the Guna district headquarters.

He was unresponsive when he was brought out at around 9.30 am on Sunday, officials said, and was rushed to a hospital in Raghogarh on life support system, Guna superintendent of police Sanjeev Sinha told PTI.

"Sorry to say, he is no more," Guna district chief medical and health officer Dr Rajkumar Rishishwar told reporters at the hospital. "The child was in the narrow borewell for the entire night in the chilly weather. His hands and feet were drenched and swollen. His clothes were also wet and mud was found in his mouth."

In Rajasthan, as the hours turned into days, the long wait, combined with hunger and thirst, has only deepened the worry for her safety and well-being. Rescue operations continue as authorities and emergency responders work tirelessly to bring her out, but the prolonged ordeal has intensified the emotional and physical strain on everyone involved.

For more than 110 hours, Dholi Devi has anxiously been praying to God and the rescue team to pull out her three-year-old daughter from the borewell in which she has been stuck since 23 December.

With hours ticking by inexorably and hopes for her survival fading, rescuers are racing against time to pull Chetna out, who fell into the borewell while playing in her father's farm.

On Saturday, a video of a wailing Dholi Devi surfaced in which she could be seen pleading with folded hands to rescue her daughter. "It's been six days... My daughter is hungry and thirsty. What if the girl was collector madam's child? Would she let her be there for so long? Please get my daughter out as soon as possible," Dholi Devi pleaded.

Initially, the rescuers tried to pull out the girl using an iron ring attached to a rope, but all attempts failed. After two days of repeated attempts that fetched no results, a piling machine was brought to the spot on Wednesday and a parallel pit was dug.

After rain interrupted the rescue operation on Friday, a two-member team entered the pit on Saturday to dig a tunnel.

"An attempt is being made to reach Chetna through an L-shaped tunnel by digging a parallel pit near the borewell. Two NDRF jawans who have descended into the pit are doing manual drilling. We are watching them on camera. The equipment they are demanding from below are being sent to them," district collector Kalpana Agarwal told reporters.

Local SHO Sarund Mohammad Imran said, "All possible efforts are being made (to rescue the girl). NDRF and SDRF teams are working continuously. Unfortunately, rain interrupted the rescue operation on Friday."

However, with each passing moment, hopes to save the toddler are diminishing as the rescue team has been unable to supply food or water to Chetna. A team of doctors with an ambulance is stationed at the spot.

Before the Madhya Pradesh's incident, a six-year-old boy Mayank Kol had fallen into a borewell in Teonthar tehsil of Rewa district on 12 April 2024. He was rescued after more than 40 hours of operation by multiple agencies, including a team of Indian Army. The child, however, could not survive. The incident prompted the state administration to order the suspension of two senior officials from Janpad Teonthar for alleged negligence.

On 29 July, a three-year-old girl Saumya Shah fell into a borewell near her home in Singrauli and died after she was rescued following an hours-long rescue operation.

Eight-year-old boy Lokesh Ahirwar died after falling into a borewell in Vidisha district in December 2023. Following that tragedy, the then Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a high-level meeting with senior officials and ordered for inspection of borewells across the state.

In another similar incident, a two-and-a-half-year-old girl Srishti Kushwaha died after falling into a borewell on 6 June 2023, in the Sehore district. She had fallen into the borewell while playing outside her house and was stuck at a depth of around 25 feet. Srishti's body was recovered by the Army after an hours-long rescue operation.

On 6 December 2023, a four-year-old girl Mahi was rescued from a borewell in Rajgarh district of the state but died in a hospital within a few hours. One week before, Mahi, a three-year-old girl died in Betul in a similar incident.

In July 2023, the state government had said those who would not cover their borewells would be punished. The government had also made a provision for strict punishment against the borewell owners, even if they were parents of the victims.

The administration had carried out an inspection to find open borewells in the state. Despite the efforts, children continued to become the victim of the borewell tragedy.

With agency inputs